Why Would Denmark Spy For America Against Its Own In EU?

Despite being a member of the European Union, Denmark seemed to have helped the United States in carrying out intelligence services spying on its own. 

Apparently, a report has claimed that the National Security Agency (NSA) of the United States was helped by Denmark’s own intelligence services in carrying out spying operations on European politicians including German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Between 2012 and 2014, the Danish Intelligence Services aided the NSA in gathering information through underwater internet cable networks. The whistleblower here is an American Edward Snowden who first alleged that the U.S. had tapped Merkel's phone in 2013, a claim that was not (outright) denied by the White House.

In 2013, Snowden was apparently involved in leaking highly classified information as a CIA employee himself. His information comprised sensitive data on the NSA pertaining to their in-house programs that collect vast amounts of information about the telephone calls made by millions of Americans, as well as e-mails and other files of foreign targets and their American connections.

While NSA then was doing what it is designed for, Snowden accused Biden to be in the thick of tapping Angela Merkel’s phone and spying on her. It is now being discovered that NSA might have stepped overboard and gone and accessed phone calls and text messages of various other European politicians. 

Everyone is wondering as to why did Denmark act on the will of the US? France has said this is a serious issue quoting France's Europe Minister Clement Beaune, “It is extremely serious, we need to see if our partners in the EU, the Danes, have committed errors or faults in their cooperation with American services.”

According to an account by a Danish radio service that first came in contact with the report, nine sources with access to classified information have confirmed the report. 

This could just be a way to dampen the spirits and efforts that Biden’s administration has been making to alter and amend the reputation of the US after Trump stepped down. The discovery of the report seems to fall at a critical time for transatlantic cooperation, just two weeks before U.S. President Joe Biden is due to visit Europe for the first time since he took office on the occasion of a G7 summit.